The Importance of Cultural Humility in the Occupational Therapy Profession

     It is important to have and understand cultural humility in general but especially as an Occupational Therapy practitioner so we can provide the best care possible for our clients. Culture can be defined as a description of the knowledge, beliefs, values, assumptions, perspectives, attitudes, norms, and customs that people acquire through membership in a particular society or group (Hammell, p.225). It is important to note that the term cultural humility is being embodied in the profession as we take more steps toward inclusion and personal responsibility as opposed to cultural competence. This is because cultural humility encompasses and normalizes that cultural differences lie within therapist-client relationships and how important it is to recognize one’s own biases, values, beliefs, assumptions, and privileges without creating a separation (Hammell, p.226). Performance patterns are considered the acquired habits, routines, roles, and rituals used in the process of engaging consistently in occupations (OTPF-4, p. 12).  I enjoy listening to Hip Hop/R&B music daily, which is considered a part of my American culture. Music is something that is important to me and what I would consider part of my routine. A person’s culture has an impact on their routines and occupations, specifically, because different activities, roles, and beliefs are all tied to their culture, which includes how they do or don’t do certain tasks. For example, I will typically eat a classic ham or BLT sandwich for lunch, which is a part of my culture, but someone else’s culture may not allow them to eat pork or any type of meat. This will change how they prepare and eat meals (routines and occupations). OT practitioners can use cultural information they gather from each client to form their treatment goals and interventions by incorporating more culturally relevant tasks to their sessions, such as activities they engage in on a regular basic like traditions they have or music they listen to. It is important to include individual’s cultures in their sessions because this is who they are, and it is all about the client as a whole. Personally, I only speak English but one day a client of mine may only speak another language or English is their second language. It may be beneficial for me to include a family member, friend, or translator into our session to provide the best care possible. Cultural humility is important to be aware of and continue to work on for the rest of our lives.